I had a very nice conversation with Vince McCormick yesterday.

It was not the first time.

McCormick first called me a few weeks ago. It was the day our annual Community Guide came out. He was not a happy camper.

McCormick is a commissioner in Lower Chichester. He took exception to the photo and caption that ran in the Guide with the listings from Lower Chichester. The photo was of the sign in the township noting that use of a cell phone while driving was not allowed in their town.

McCormick specifically believed the caption with the photo, which questioned whether the ordinance could actually be enforced, was a cheap shot. And he pretty much told me exactly that. In some fairly colorful language.

I’m kind of used to those kind of calls. They go with the territory.
Yes, McCormick raised his voice. Yes, there was profanity involved. It’s not like I haven’t heard it before. Or ocasionally used such language myself. OK, a little more than ocasionally.

What happened Wednesday was a lot more rare. McCormick called me again.
He wanted to thank us for the story that appeared in that day’s paper, which we also teased off Page 1, on the township’s move to ban use of mobile devices to “text” while driving.

He left me a very nice voice-mail, even apologizing for some of his language in the previous call. Let me tell you, that does not happen very often.

I called him back. We had a very nice conversation. He admitted he was a “hothead” and we again went over the piece in the Community Guide.

I thanked him for his follow-up call and told him how rare it was. Then I did something else. I told him very simply that we likely would have another call down the road, probably once again at odds. The truth is, we’re not always going to agree on every issue.

I’m still not sure if the ordinances being developed in Lower Chi are enforceable or not.

I imagine there is some merit to the argument a lot of people make that this is something that should be handled at the state level, by the Legislature.

I’m not holding my breath. How are those state budget talks going, anyhow?

In the meantime, it seems like every time I get behind the wheel I am dodging people who are yakking on cell phones.

Try this. The next time you’re sitting behind a car at a red light and the car does not move after the light turns green, resist the urge to lean on the horn. Instead, wait for the opportunity to pull aside the car. I’d be willing to bet you the person driving has a cell phone stuck in their ear.

We’ve had a tragic reminder of the dangers of distracted drivers with the senseless death of a teen in Upper Darby, run down by a young driver police say was adjusting her iPod.

I don’t know if the Lower Chi law is legal, if it’s enforceable, or if they actually write tickets.

I do know that if it keeps one person off their cell phone while driving, it’s a good idea.